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Culture Change at TAP Pharmaceuticals

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Introduction Durand's experience at TAP pharmaceuticals is not as unusual as one might estimate, but the magnitude and scope of the problem is not common. The pharmaceutical sector is driven by high research and development costs, and the underlying dilemma of expiring patents and unrelenting competition plays heavy on the sales and marketing teams. Two parallel races are continuously run: Recouping research and development costs of pharmaceuticals which can be astronomical and selling as much product at a premium as quickly as possible. The stakes are high and temptation is ubiquitous. Some companies, like TAP pharmaceutical, give in to their baser instincts the outcomes of which are well compensated and highly regarded in society: profit! Extant ethical issues at TAP Analyzing the ethical issues at TAP from a deductive perspective, the first consideration is that federal laws are regularly being broken. Specifically, doctors received kickbacks for prescribing medications recommended by sales representatives. And prices of drugs were inflated particularly when free samples of drugs were given to doctors who then billed Medicare, Medicaid, and their beneficiaries for the drugs. In addition, sales representatives did not account for samples of some medications that are given to physicians, clinics, and hospitals. Physicians are expected to prescribe medication based on their professional knowledge, not on the availability of fiscal bribes and perquisites. The actual

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